Measurement of cholesterol is primarily used in assessing risk of heart disease and to aid in the diagnosis of the lipoprotein disorders.

Principle of Test Method: This procedure involves a Trinder reaction in which the amount of cholesterol present in the specimen is quantified following enzymic hydrolysis of cholesterol esters.

This method may be used to assay total cholesterol in serum, plasma or in lipoprotein fractions obtained by preparative ultracentrifugation (e.g. cholesterol in the VLDL fraction obtained in the beta quantification procedure).